Wait, are we done?!
Did we just complete our last full training week?
Week 40 is done and in the time that we could have grown real-life mini-running-spawn (...ew), we have made it to our final full training week and we even survived.
I can't even describe the happiness I experienced when we did our last "8km" on Wednesday. It is more than mildly inconvenient to run that far in the city after work. This run, after a full day at work means I don't get home until 9pm sometimes.
I am so excited to get some of my life back!
8km blitzed, we started walking back to the office. I am chuckling to myself about the fact that this was one of the easier runs, since I used high five everything after managing 3km, when Rhi stops in her tracks and starts howling (and manically giggling, because, it's Rhi) because her left foots starts to cramp.
I am looking at her like, alrighty then, and after Rhi appears to recover, we continue walking back to the office, grab our stuff and head home.
The next day, Rhi tells me her foot is still ridiculously sore and isn't sure how she is going to go on the 5km easy run tonight. Cue suspicious glare.
Wait, is this.... are you......you're not..... INJURED?! *cue dramatic music*
Both of us head off for our run after work, very pointedly ignoring the elephant in the room and leaving him to play all by himself. I think at this point we are both trying to be as positive as possible and refusing to admit there may be anything wrong unless Rhi's foot screams otherwise.
2kms in and Rhi has to stop. Shit.
To be fair, we were running a good minute and a half faster than usual, so we stopped to walk and decided to power-walk it back to the office, rather than push it.
The next morning, before I had even arrived in the office, Rhi had made appointments with every type of specialist available for that day. Oh God, shit is getting real.
We were due to run our last long run the following morning and Rhi was adamant that she was still going to run it.
After a physio, a podiatrist, some epic foot wrapping and a partridge in a pear tree, Rhi assured me she was good to give it a go in the morning.
We had agreed on taking our final long run down from the top of the Linear trail, starting at the top of Gorge Rd in Athelstone.
We needed to cover 20.5km to complete our 19kms including hydration stops and if we following the River Torrens, the distance would take us all the way down to the River Torrens Weir Gate carpark.
We were going to cover 8 suburbs. EIGHT!
We left Rhi's car at the Weir and both drove up in my car at the top of the trail.
As per usual, we completely underestimated the terrain, and since we didn't scope out the run track first, we did not anticipate how steep and hilly the first 6.5km would be.
Once we came to our first hydration stop, I was DONE.
Rhi, however was still running. Win!
Our second segment took us along the section of the trail that is also used by the Parkrun on Saturday mornings, which we totally forgot about.
Oh it was great.
I love having to increase my pace on a hill, to pass inconsiderate fuckwits that are taking up the entire path as they powerwalk in their Lorna Janes discussing their latest manicures.
Best way to activate my murderous intent? Walk in front of me, in the middle of the footpath with your dog, then begin to run so as to not let me pass, and make me hover directly behind you until you remember that you are wearing a full juicy sweatpant-suit and are being weirdly competitive with someone who isn't even participating in the same 'race'.
A.k.a "Bitch, I am on my nineth kilometre, even if you beat me to the end of your 5km, I am still winning." *rude finger*.
Oh, look there's a photographer! Swell! Look how excited I am!
We made it past the Park-Runners, and the worst of the terrain, and Rhi finally gave in.
We both decided what we had achieved was probably a win, considering the extent of her injury and decided to walk a while and see if we can maybe run the last 6km segment.
There is something that happens when you run long distances, like that long run insanity I mentioned in last weeks post, you can sometimes enter a kind of hypnotised state of mental or physical numbness. Often, you don't realise the extent of how harsh your run has been on your body until you stop running and start taking inventory.
We might have only run 10km, but that was 10km of difficult terrain and once we stopped walking, I immediately started taking inventory and realised how incredibly sore I was already.
Maybe I always am at this point of the run, but because I continue to run, I don't realise it until the end.
The result? Pain. Joint, muscle, skin, impact pain. All over my legs and hips. Joy.
Rhi tried to run again a couple of times with little success and we realised we were going to have to walk the whole way back to the carpark.
Additionally? The further we walked, the slower we got, and by time we got into familiar territory around the Torrens/Uni track, we were both hobbling like old ladies.
There is something about covering that much distance, even at a walk, that is so harsh on your legs and feet. I was just as sore as if I had run it.
But we made it! Our last long run!
And even better? Even though we had to walk a good part of it, we still came in under 4 hours which means we are on our way to completing the half-marathon within our goal time.
Two weeks to go!